| If you're considering constructing a new home, | | | | be greatly improved - most homes, when it comes |
| consider going green. | | | | to insulation, have the equivalent of two full sized |
| A lot of green construction initiatives are out there, | | | | doors open in terms of air flow. |
| which advocate building everything from pre- | | | | Green construction, done right, solves this problem, |
| measured, pre-fabricated parts. | | | | and a well insulated home is less expensive to heat in |
| The savings for this are two fold - the first savings is | | | | the winter, and cool in the summer. |
| in ease of construction. By building everything from | | | | Proper heating and cooling design/installation methods |
| pre-measured parts, you save on labor and assembly. | | | | are a major contributor to good green construction |
| You also save on garbage hauling fees. | | | | practices. |
| The second place where you save is avoiding building | | | | A more recent trend in green construction is |
| waste in your local landfill. Most homes are | | | | photovoltaic cells as an integral component of |
| constructed by bringing raw lumber on site and | | | | construction, rather than as an unsightly add on to |
| cutting it to fit over the course of construction. | | | | the home. |
| The same (to a lesser extent) is done with flooring, | | | | These can reduce utility bills (through net-metering) |
| drywall and siding. | | | | or provide cash flow to the home owner through an |
| Good green construction techniques use the mantra | | | | offset-tariff, and will, over the course of 20 years or |
| of "measure twice, cut once" to its logical extreme, | | | | more, pay off the cost of their investment. |
| and can eliminate construction waste (and the | | | | Ultimately, doing a green home means doing a |
| attendant fees) by as much as 80%. | | | | completely green home - you can't do it part way. It |
| Green construction also ties into how the house is | | | | doesn't mean you have to "give up" the life style - |
| designed as a home and living space, and how it uses | | | | but it does mean an initial investment in planning and |
| energy. | | | | a commitment to hold on to the home for a while to |
| A house can be precisely placed to maximize thermal | | | | recoup your investment. |
| warming in the winter, and shade placement in the | | | | Fortunately, green homes retain resale value very |
| summer. | | | | well. |
| Similarly, green construction helps with energy bills. | | | | Green construction is more than energy efficiency. |
| By building the houses out of precisely measured | | | | It also leads to a longer-lasting, healthier home and a |
| prefabricated components, the insulation effects can | | | | better lifestyle. |